Phil Ryan

21 hours ago | medium.com | Phil Ryan

Have you ever felt like your monitor was holding back your gaming experience? I did. For the longest time, I stuck with a basic 60Hz display, thinking frame rate and resolution weren’t that important. But one weekend, during an intense session of “Call of Duty: Warzone,” I lost a 1v1 duel because I didn’t see the enemy soon enough. My friend, who was spectating, just said, “Man, your monitor sucks.”That hit me. I started diving deep into gaming monitors and came across the LG UltraGear series.

1 day ago | medium.com | Phil Ryan

Let me be honest — I’ve used a lot of monitors over the years. From budget 1080p panels to curved ultrawides with RGB lighting that made my setup look like a spaceship. But nothing frustrated me more than ghosting, dull blacks, and input lag when I was deep into an intense Apex Legends match or exploring the hauntingly beautiful world of Elden Ring. I started noticing how my eyes would ache after long sessions.

2 days ago | medium.com | Phil Ryan

I’ll never forget the day my monitor totally ruined an epic Warzone session. The screen ghosted, tore, and the refresh rate was so low, I missed shots that were clearly mine. It wasn’t lag — it was my gear. That’s when it hit me: if I’m going to spend hours in immersive worlds, battling online, or just chilling with a beautiful open-world RPG, I need a display that enhances my experience, not one that sabotages it. I started researching brands — ASUS, Acer, Dell, you name it.

2 days ago | medium.com | Phil Ryan

Okay, real talk — not all of us have $500+ to blow on a gaming monitor. When I built my budget gaming setup last year (my GPU cost more than my bed), I knew I had to find a monitor that wouldn’t leave me broke but still felt fast and fun. And wow — let me tell you — I was shocked at how much value you can actually get for under $200 today. If you’re like me — gaming casually, sometimes competitively, or just trying to level up your Xbox/PC visuals — you’re in the right place.

2 days ago | medium.com | Phil Ryan

Let’s rewind to when I had just finished building my first gaming PC. I’d spent most of my budget on the GPU and CPU (classic mistake, right?). Then came the reality check — “Oh no, I still need a monitor.” And not just any monitor. I wanted one that could handle fast-paced FPS games like Apex Legends and Call of Duty without turning into a laggy slideshow. And so began my journey through the wild world of budget and cheap gaming monitors.